Frequently Asked Questions About Plumbing

Kitchen sinks can clog for several reasons, such as old, poorly installed, or undersized piping. Most often, clogs have more to do with what you put down the drain. Keep items like oily foods and coffee grounds out of your drains, as they build up over time. Also, use your garbage disposal sparingly for small scraps, but toss or compost things like potato skins, banana peels, and egg shells. Even with a premium disposal, always keep water running while grinding to thoroughly flush the system.

Most homes use a traditional water heater that ranges in size from 20 to more than 80 gallons, fueled by natural gas, electricity, propane, or oil. Because they keep water in the insulated tank hot at all times, these systems consume energy around the clock. Tankless water heaters reduce energy use and utility costs by heating water as needed, and have great longevity—up to 20 years—if you do routine service.

Over time, lime deposits can build up and form a thin layer on the bottom of the water heater. When the burner fires to warm your water, the steam it produces breaks that layer. Eventually, the cycle of water turning to steam and jostling the lime deposits begins to sound like an old coffee percolator. Don’t panic but know this means your water heater is aging and will soon need to be replaced.

Hard water contains dissolved and/or minute particles of minerals like calcium and magnesium. Residue of these minerals builds up in pipes, filters, and appliances and also leaves a film on your skin, glasses, and more. Water softeners remove these minerals to improve the feel, taste, color, and odor of your water. Even better are metered water softeners that only treat water on demand versus a traditional softener that runs every three days. Every time your system doesn’t needlessly regenerate, you save about 80 gallons of water and several pounds of salt.

Look for a small opening on the bottom, insert an Allen wrench into it, and turn it to move the blades and help free the jam. If that doesn’t work, call us to schedule a repair—further tampering with it can seriously damage the disposal’s motor.

A leaky faucet usually means a mechanism inside the faucet needs to be replaced or repaired, which is typically a simple and inexpensive fix. In fact, you can prevent some drips by going easy on your faucets—turning them on and off gently helps washers last longer.

If your tank and bowl are continually refilling, it’s like flushing money down the drain (literally). Leaky, running toilets can add up to $100 a year to your water bill. If it’s something simple, like the float or chain getting caught up and leaving the flapper open, jiggling the handle can be a quick fix. If running continues, call a plumber who can offer a permanent solution.

Low water pressure can be caused by a malfunctioning shut-off valve, a pinched water line, or mineral deposits that have collected in older, galvanized pipes. You’ll need a licensed plumber to determine the cause and restore pressure.

Absolutely. For instance, older toilets use as much as six gallons of water per flush, while new energy-efficient models use less than two. Showerheads typically have a flow rate of two-and-a-half gallons per minute—their energy-saving counterparts can reduce that amount by more than half, without sacrificing performance. Save thousands of gallons of water and hundreds of dollars just by replacing old equipment!